The Very Best
by faolan228
Summary: Nonsensical collection of one-shots that I'll update whenever I'm having writer's block on 'Sentinels'. Basically, Buffy with Pokemon. W/T, and some others that I haven't decided yet.
1. Chapter 1

A/n: Quite honestly the most moronic thing I've ever written. Actually, I'll probably top this in about two months, but definitely the most moronic thing I've written thus far. Nonsensical, off-beat, but still desperately trying to cling to canon. Yay!

**1.**

Unlike Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, or Sinnoh, who sent out their 11 year olds to traipse about in the wilderness with their pets, the Western world chose 16 to be the minimum age for trainers. This five year delay left them at a slight disadvantage when fighting foreigners of the same age group, but ultimately the child mortality rates were drastically lower than those of other countries.

Well, not in Sunnydale.

Buffy peered down at the little brown Eevee. It peered back at her and mewled.

No cross country adventure for the Slayer, no siree. Still, nights patrolling alone wouldn't be so lonely anymore.

"I'm naming you Swordie."

"'vee!"

**2.**

Xander was, to all extents and purposes, a normal kind of guy. Helping out the Slayer and stuff aside, of course. So, naturally, he was looking for a nice normal-type. Not too hard to train, yet sturdy. He was no fighter, nope. That was Buffy's deal.

But fighting types had been Jesse's favorites, and if his friend had been alive, this was definitely what he'd have chosen.

"C'mon Timmy, let's go home."

The young Timburr bounced behind him happily.

**3.**

Wild Pokémon were rare in Sunnydale. With all the demons and vampires running around, any living creature out after dark was a free meal, and that applied to trainer-less Pokémon. As a result, the few wild ones that did run around the Hellmouth were dark, psychic, and ghost.

A dark-type was the problem here.

"C'mere, you!"

Anyone who saw young Willow Rosenburg tackle a small child in the middle of the park would be a little worried, save for maybe Cordelia, who would tell everyone that she always knew Rosenburg was a freak and hey, didn't this just prove it?

Had Buffy, Xander, or Giles seen this, they'd merely roll their eyes. This was the third time in 2 days.

Holding the laughing child down with one arm, Willow tugged on an out of place, red, fuzzy tail. With a poof, the child revealed itself to be a tiny red and black fox.

"You have to stop doing this, Rua," Looking around and taking in the setting sun, Willow gathered up her little Zorua and headed home.

**4.**

It was evolving.

Mid-song, too. That was kinda awesome. Oz settled his acoustic against the wall and leaned forward, an uncharacteristic look of elation on his face.

His Poochyena was evolving.

A silver glow filled the room, though from the moonlight or the evolution, he really couldn't bring himself to care much. The little dog's silhouette grew larger and with one more blast of light, it was done.

One look into the wolf's red eyes and snarling face, and Oz knew.

This was no longer the sweet little Poochyena he spent the past year or so raising. The little snorting dog who loved to howl along to his music was no more.

It was then that he also knew he was not yet strong enough to control Mightyena.

"Oh, _Ringo_…"

**5.**

Dawn was still too young to have a Pokémon, but that didn't mean she couldn't start deciding what to get.

She knew she wanted a cute one, though. Buffy's Eevee was downright adorable, and it toddled around the house all the time. Joyce had a Smeargle, and it was cute in an odd way, Dawn decided.

"A Teddiursa? Or maybe a Squirtle? How about…."

From behind the door, Buffy grinned as she tucked Swordie into her jacket, tickling his little chin. "Stay cute, Dawn-ster," she whispered, and headed out into the night, ready to make the world a safer place for her baby sister.

**6.**

Tara had started on her Pokémon training a bit earlier than most kids. Growing up on a farm, she never knew a time when she wasn't surrounded by Ponyta, Rapidash, Miltank, Tauros, Grumpigs, and the farm dogs, Growlithe and Herdier.

It was a peaceful way of life, raising them.

So how had she ended up using the corral like some makeshift arena, her little Cyndaquil taking a beating from Donnie's Snubbull?

She turned to Daddy, leaning on the corral fence, watching the fight. His large, grizzled Typhlosion stood behind him, watching the fight as well.

He'd step in if Donnie started hitting her, but he'd never intervene in a Pokémon battle. There was only so much Cyndaquil could take; only so much her magic could do. Donnie was older, had been training longer, and he wouldn't show any mercy.

Needless to say when the bright glow nearly blinded all of them, Tara's Cyndaquil evolving into a Quilava surprised her most of all. A rather impressive flame wheel later and Donnie's Snubbull was a crumpled heap at the other end of the corral.

"You did it Crowley!" She whooped. Tara stooped down to sweep the little fire-type into her arms when a second white glow blazed.

There was Donnie, grinning triumphantly, his newly evolved Granbull at his side.

"N-no…"

It was much later, hours after Granbull got tired of brutalizing her Quilava that she decided. Packing her things and her mother's books and all her money, she left after everyone was asleep, for Crowley's safety just as much as her own.

Next stop, Sunnydale.

Besides, with all the vampires running around, a witch with a fire-type could do some good on the Hellmouth.


	2. Chapter 2

1.

Giles hid his smile behind his teacup as he watched his Slayer play with her Eevee. It reminded him of his own starters from his youth, a faithful Espeon and Umbreon duo, now long gone. He observed as Buffy rolled on the floor in a completely undignified manner, letting the little brown animal chase her.

Hm.

Perhaps a Kadabra or a Mr. Mime to keep himself company?

2.

Through all the ass-kicking, the betrayals, redemption, and general hoo-ha that came with demon fighting, sometimes all a girl really wanted was a hug. A hug in private, with no one to mock her, just between her and her Pokémon.

"Damn Jet, we _really_ didn't think this through."

In the end, Faith settled for thumping her Scyther solidly in the ribs and getting a loving nudge in return.

And that was cool.

3.

"It would fit the theme really well, y'know?"

Willow glanced over at her lover, sprawled on her back with one arm over her eyes. "What would?"

Tara rolled over and grinned lopsidedly. "Oak, Elm, Birch, Rowan, Juniper," she snuggled closer to the redhead. "Obviously you were destined to become the next great professor."

Willow preened and wriggled, the motion causing the blanket to slide low on the other witch's hips and revealing her bare, ample bosom. "Flattery will get you _everywhere_."

"'rua!"

"Quil!"

The plume of fire that shot overhead interrupted any further attempts at seduction. "I'll get them," Tara sighed. Standing up naked as the day she was born, she grabbed Crowley and Rua by the scruffs and swept them out into the hall.

Willow sighed. "We really need to get our own apartment. Off campus."

The Pokémon breeder quirked her brow. Now there's an idea.

4.

Buneary plodded along after the woman. She had decided that this would be her trainer. She fussed about like she knew what she was doing, males of the species cowered before her, and she walked like a woman who knew her place in the world.

The right person for Buneary.

Unfurling one ear and tapping the blonde woman on the leg gently, she let out a soft, "'eary!" in greeting.

The former vengeance demon looked down, shrieked, and tore off in the opposite direction.

5.

She certainly didn't look like the type of girl who could command a fire-type, let alone one of the Johto starters.

Tara Maclay was sort of an enigma like that, Buffy supposed.

Willow having a new, witchy gal-pal? Great!

Willow's witchy gal-pal training a fire-type? Invite her on patrol sometime, she could toast vamps for us!

Willow being more than just witchy gal-pals with her?

Well, that was gonna cause a few problems.

Not because of the whole gay thing, no way. Buffy was a So-Cal girl, and she was okay with this sort of thing. No, what really ground her gears was potential heart break for her best friend.

After that whole fiasco with Oz and his out of control Mightyena, Buffy had to wonder. Fire type trainers were the worst, brash, temperamental, loud, and were just downright annoying. Despite their usefulness in fighting the evil undead, fire-type trainers never really lasted long on the Hellmouth, their attitudes getting them killed often.

So when the Slayer met Willow's girlfriend, well…wow.

Pretty much the exact opposite of every fire-type trainer she had ever met. Odd, seeing as Crowley fit almost every fire-type Pokémon stereotype. The Slayer turned to watch as Crowley put Swordie through his paces, dodging each of the Eevee's blows flawlessly, ending the little play fight with a shoulder-to-shoulder blow.

Turning from the little sparring match, she observed as Tara brought Dawn down from one of her screaming fits. Over a year later and Buffy had learned quite a bit about the witch. Fire types required a trainer with infinite patience and inner strength, and Tara had that in spades.

6.

Zoroark, the evolved form of Zorua. Protective of it's loved ones, it is known to harness illusions and dark powers to protect and avenge them.

Willow couldn't have chosen a more perfect Pokémon. Taking out the last of Glory's minions, the glow that filled the room was almost drowned out by Rua's roar of pain and rage.

…or perhaps it was Willow's?

Now looming over a foot taller than her trainer, Rua bared her teeth, looking as fearsome as possible as the redhead burst through the hellgod's doors.

"We. Owe. You. PAIN!"

'_For my mistress' mate,' _the dark fox snarled. Then it's thoughts drifted to the broken fire-type who tried to defend his mistress. '_For Crowley, too_.'


End file.
